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Marcus Rashford scored twice in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday as the Manchester United forward stepped up his recovery from injury. 

The England international played and scored a brace in the friendly match against Blackburn Rovers held at United’s training base in what will be a boost for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

Rashford has yet to play a part this season after undergoing shoulder surgery after the European Championship but has been stepping up his fitness in recent weeks and returned to contact training before United’s game against Everton. 

When might Rashford be available to play? 

United visit Leicester in their first game back after the international break on October 16 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already earmarked that as a potential return for Rashford. 

"I hope he will be involved against Leicester,” Solskjaer said last week. “He has been in training he has been working really hard, joining in with the group as a floater, no tackles or contact.

"Today (Friday October 1) was the first day he could be tackled and that happens, and let’s hope that he gets his bearings and finds his movements early on and there is many reasons why he can be involved against Leicester."

After his performance against Blackburn, Rasford tweeted: "So good to get some minutes under my belt today." 

What else has been said? 

Rashford’s return to friendly match action will be a boost for Solskjaer, and Dean Henderson, who also featured in the game against Blackburn, has spoken about his team-mate's sharpness in training recently. 

“It's funny because he looks so sharp since he's come back from his shoulder injury and everything from last season,” the goalkeeper told club media. “I think he was carrying a few knocks. So for him to come back, he looks back to his best and I'm really excited to see him out there. I think he is going to help the team a lot.

“I think he got obviously thrown in at a young age and didn't really get a break mentally to switch off. And I think it's given him time to do this. He will be hungrier than ever to get back out there and play again. I do honestly think, sometimes, that a break is great.

“It's helped me this summer and I'm sure it's helped him. I think he'll come back better than ever.”

What about other players? 

Victor Lindelof has yet to report for Sweden duty as he has been allowed to stay back in Manchester for personal reasons, while Amad has started training properly again after a thigh injury prevented him from going on loan to Feyenoord in the summer transfer window. 

Further reading

Gregg Berhalter has confirmed that Weston McKennie will start the U.S. men's national team's World Cup qualifier against Jamaica on Thursday.

The decision to start McKennie comes as the Juventus midfielder returns to the team after being dismissed for violating team rules during last month's qualifiers.

But Berhalter has said that McKennie's punishment is effectively over and the midfielder will now return to the team's starting XI.

What has been said?

"Weston's going to start the game tomorrow," Berhalter said. "He's been focused coming into this week, and we're not holding anything against him.

"Is he going to have to rebuild trust over a time period by showing that he's the leader that we expect them to be? Of course, but there's nothing held against him.

"It's not, 'This action happened, this is who this person is'. That's what I've been saying. We don't need to jump to that. We need to understand that these are young players that we're dealing with and this is part of it. 

"To me it's just about tolerance, having a certain level of tolerance with players and with the situation, with the guy's situations."

Who else could start for the USMNT?

McKennie is the only confirmed start for the USMNT so far, although one would expect Antonee Robinson to also be in the lineup for the match against Jamaica.

Robinson and Zack Steffen are both expected to not travel to Panama for the USMNT's second match of the window due to England's quarantine rules as both players would be forced to isolate upon returning to their club teams.

With regards to Steffen, Berhalter was unwilling to confirm which goalkeeper would start, with the Manchester City star battling Matt Turner for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot.

Berhalter's lineup could also shift due to the team's vaccination status, with unvaccinated players unable to travel to Panama. As of Wednesday, Berhalter says that there is one player fully unvaccinated with one other halfway through the vaccination process, although he did not confirm which players they were.

Further reading

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says it is “extremely disappointing” they could not locate Orlando Pirates midfielder Goodman Mosele to report for camp on Sunday to start preparations for back-to-back 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia.

Mosele has since been replaced by SuperSport United’s Jesse Donn who received his maiden national team call-up.

Bafana play their third match of Group G against Ethiopia away on Saturday, before hosting the same side three days later.

“Sadly Goodman has absconded, we have tried reaching him to no avail and this is extremely disappointing. We are very happy that Jesse Donn has heeded the call and reported for duty almost immediately,” Broos told the Safa website.

Also ruled out of the upcoming games is Mamelodi Sundowns defender Mosa Lebusa who has since been replaced by another SuperSport player Luke Fleurs.

Lebosa missed Masandawana’s last two games and will not regain his fitness in time for international duty. 

He also missed the last World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Ghana due to injury.

“This is unfortunate. Lebusa was assessed on the first day [Sunday] of camp and he has been nursing an injury which he had hoped would heal prior to reporting for national duty,”  said Bafana team doctor Tshepo Molobi.

“The nature of his injury is that of a right quad strain and we would rather not risk further injury, hence he has been released from camp, back into the care of his club, Mamelodi Sundowns. 

“We are taking the safer approach as we do not want to see Mosa being sidelined for longer than is necessary with this type of injury.”

Both players called up as replacements are poised to make their Bafana debuts if given a run by Broos against Ethiopia.

But between the two, it is Fleurs who has some international experience, having previously played for South Africa’s junior national teams.

He was one of the Under-23s best players at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“I’ve played under-17 and also recently played at the Tokyo Olympics. This is my first call up for the senior men’s national team and I’m going to make the most of it,” said Fleurs.

Nigeria have been dealt a major blow as Peter Etebo has been ruled out of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations through injury.

The midfielder was forced off injured during Watford’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Newcastle United on Saturday evening at Vicarage Road.

The Stoke City loanee was subsequently replaced by compatriot Emmanuel Dennis as Xisco Munoz’s Hornets came from a goal down to earn a point against the Magpies.

Meanwhile, the English topflight side in a statement published on their website revealed how long the former Getafe and Galatasaray would spend on the sidelines.

“Midfielder Peter Etebo tore a quad muscle towards the end of the Newcastle United game last weekend and is expected to be out for between four to five months,” the club wrote.

With this, he will miss at least 17 English topflight fixtures for Watford – starting with Saturday’s showdown at Leeds United.

If this is anything to go by, Etebo will not be ready as Gernot Rohr’s side bids to win the biennial African football showpiece for the fourth time in Cameroon.

Etebo was part of the Eagles’ side that finished third in the 2019 edition of Afcon staged in Egypt.

Earlier on Thursday morning, the combative midfielder did not make the country’s 23-man squad for October’s double-header 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification encounter versus the Central African Republic.

Following the Rio Olympics bronze medalist’s move to the Hertfordshire based side, he stated that Watford would give their all in the 2021-22 season.

“It’s going to be a long season, but let’s see. The most important thing is for us to keep our heads up, and make sure we’re going to give everything,” he told the club website.

“When I first signed for Stoke I had people telling me coming to England wouldn’t be easy, especially in the Championship,” he continued.

“Everyone knows it's one of the toughest [leagues], you have to keep running, chase people down.

“Every league is difficult, it all depends on how you set out the team, No league is easy. Coming to England to play, it’s a good league, it’s tough, but it’s a joy to me.”

Former South Africa youth international Thabo Cele's agent Helio Martins has opened up about what transpired after Kaizer Chiefs registered their interest in the player.

The Soweto giants were credited with an interest in the central midfielder after he impressed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games - featuring in all of the team's three matches two months ago.

Cele became a free agent prior to the global tournament after he parted ways with Portuguese second division club Cova da Piedade at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Chiefs were joined by RKS Radomiak in the race for the Durban-born player's signature and the Polish side has since signed Cele. 

Martins has now disclosed that Chiefs did not take the discussion further to bring the player to Naturena.

“The Kaizer Chiefs proposal did not advance any further,” Martins told Soccer Laduma. 

“And so, the future will now be through Europe. Radomiak’s desire and the club's project convinced the player."

Radomiak won the Polish second division title in June this year and they earned a promotion to the country's top-flight, Ekstraklasa for the first time in 36 years.

Martins pointed out that his client will look to catch the eye of the South Africa senior national team selectors and earn a recall to the Bafana Bafana squad. 

"He now will work to be called up to his country's national team again, that is his main objective," he concluded. 

Cele was handed his Bafana debut against Botswana in July 2017 by current Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter, who was in charge of South Africa at the time.

The diminutive player has been plying his trade in Europe since 2016 when he signed for Portuguese third division side Real Sport Club from the KwaZulu-Natal Academy. 

A year later, Portuguese giants, Benfica signed the former South Africa under-20 international before returning to Real on loan.

Cele, who represented South Africa at the 2017 Fifa Under-20 World Cup finals in South Korea, signed for Cova da Piedade in 2018. 

Argentina have named their squad for the next round of 2022 World Cup qualifying action, with there the potential for more chaotic scenes in South America as Premier League-based stars have been selected once again.

Emi Martinez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero have been called upon by the Albiceleste, with the Aston Villa and Tottenham trio joining the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez in Lionel Scaloni's ranks.

It was the presence of players plying their club trade in Britain that led to the stunning abandonment of a meeting between Argentina and Brazil during the last international break.

What happened in Brazil?

The vast majority of Premier League clubs refused to release their respective South American contingents for international duty in early September as a number of nations in that region are on Britain's travel red list during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Martinez, along with club colleague Emi Buendia, was allowed to link up with Argentina, though, as Spurs pair Romero and Lo Celso also joined the fold.

Their presence on the pitch at the Corinthians Arena sparked bizarre scenes on September 5, with health officials entering the field of play in an effort to have them removed and deported.

Little has changed since then, with restrictions on movement still in place.

Martinez, Lo Celso, Buendia and Romero also had to travel back to England via Croatia during the last break in domestic duties in a bid to avoid quarantine rules.

What happens now?

Anyone returning to Britain from red-listed countries must quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival.

Spurs and Villa already appear set to be without their Argentine stars for the resumption of Premier League action, as Scaloni's side will not take in their final qualifier against Peru until the early hours of October 15 BST.

Villa are due to take in a derby date with Wolves on October 16, while Tottenham will head to Newcastle a day later.

Martinez, Lo Celso and Romero should avoid a repeat of the furore they sparked in Brazil during the next round of fixtures, as a postponed contest is yet to be rearranged, but there are a number of issues still to be addressed.

Argentina squad for 2022 World Cup qualifiers vs Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Juan Musso (Atalanta), Esteban Andrada (Monterrey)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina Lucero (Udinese), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Ajax), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax)

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Paris Saint-Germain), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Nicolas Dominguez (Bologna), Giovanni Lo Celso (Tottenham), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla)

Forwards: Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain), Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Joaquin Correa (Inter), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Julian Alvarez (River Plate)

Further reading

Coach Engin Firat has said he did not take the Harambee Stars appointment for money as he had two more offers that promised better perks.
 
Engin stressed that the main objective of accepting the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) appointment was to come and help the national team to reach a high level of success.

"This is the reason why I am here [to help Harambee Stars reach the next level]," the former Moldova national team coach said. "People have to understand that Kenya were not on my list, to be honest. It happened very fast because I was talking to two other clubs.
 
"The financial offers were very good and there is nothing to compare here, but what is clear is that I am not coming here for the money. I saw the team and I have a good feeling and If I have a good feeling then something good will come."
 
The former Fenerbahce assistant head coach also explained what he believes a winning team should generally have.

"The biggest part of a winning team is psychological, building a close team where everyone does not give up and helps each other," he added.

"The second part is to have players believe in it. You can have fantastic quality but if you do not believe in something, you cannot reach the target. It is not only in football, but it also applies in life.
 
"If you combine all the attributes together, then that is the most important point of having a winning team."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finds himself under mounting pressure again at Manchester United, with the Norwegian's fellow 1999 Treble winner, Teddy Sheringham, warning that the "writing is on the wall" if major silverware proves elusive in 2021-22.

The Red Devils handed their manager a new three-contract over the summer, but it remains to be seen whether a deal through to 2024 will be seen out.

Inconsistency remains an issue at Old Trafford, on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, and Sheringham admits that Solskjaer will be sacked if he fails to put United in a position to bring a five-year wait for tangible success to a close.

What has been said?

With the 'Ole Out' campaign gathering pace once more, ex-United striker Sheringham told the Daily Mail of the issues facing his former team-mate: "Without a doubt there is pressure on him this year to win something. If he doesn't win something, he knows the writing is on the wall.

"They have made the big signings in [Raphael] Varane and [Jadon] Sancho. That would be enough but then [Cristiano] Ronaldo becomes available, United acquire him and they need to see results now.

"Ole is still a young manager and he is gaining experience while on the job. At the top level he only knows United and that is a hard job to leave. I think he is progressing but he needs to take it to the next level.

"I think everybody is willing him to do well, they want him to do well because he is a Manchester United legend. That gives him some scope but you have to emphasise, he needs to win something. It's not rocket science."

What is Solskjaer's record as Man Utd boss?

United sounded an SOS call to a familiar figure after parting company with Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

A productive honeymoon period for Solskjaer resulted in him being handed a three-year contract, but early momentum proved difficult to maintain.

The Red Devils have found a way of working through any dips in form, with a second-place finish secured in the Premier League last season.

Trophies have, however, proved elusive, with United picking up an unfortunate habit of falling at semi-final hurdles before going on to lose on penalties to Villarreal in the 2020-21 Europa League final.

Those efforts were enough to earn Solskjaer fresh terms and a useful summer transfer budget, but expectation remains high on the red half of Manchester and he has to deliver on that in order to retain his role in the most demanding of coaching posts.

Through 159 games at the United helm so far, the 48-year-old has overseen 88 wins, 35 draws and 36 defeats.

Further reading

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez believes Manchester City will beat Paris Saint-Germain if they show up in the game as they did against Chelsea in their last Premier League outing.

The Citizens will return to Champions League action on Tuesday as they travel to face PSG at Le Parc des Princes in their second Group A match of the campaign.

The two teams met last season in the semi-final stage with City winning the first leg 2-1 in Paris before returning to the Etihad to win 2-0 and thus advance to the final on a 4-1 aggregate win.

It was Mahrez who scored the two goals during the home game and he also notched one in the away win.

Ahead of another contest between the giants, Mahrez has called on his teammates to match the same levels of focus and intensity that were reached back in April or play like they did when they beat Chelsea 1-0 last Saturday if they are to beat the French outfit.

“Of course, it was a good day for the team firstly and me as well because I scored,” Mahrez told the club’s official website. “But the way we played was most important - we played with character and personality.

“That's how we have to play. Like we did at Chelsea like we have to play all the time. We have to play every game with personality and play your game, impose your game, everywhere you go.

“When you win big games like this, especially a semi-final, you grow in confidence. Our team has improved a lot since this.”

Mahrez has further warned Man City against complacency insisting PSG will offer a different test to last season.

“It’s a different match. It’s the same teams more or less, but it’s a different match. It was a semi-final, there were no fans.

“You take it differently, the semi-final is different. Today is five months later, it’s the beginning of the season, the group stage,” Mahrez continued.

“We are not thinking ‘we beat them so we will win again’. We are thinking ‘okay we beat them but it was tight and it’ll be another tight game again’.

“We have to be focused, strong, and play with personality. We will see how the game finishes. We don't think because we won last season that we will win again this season.”

He continued: “It’s just exciting - it’s a great game and we all want to play great games against top teams,” he declared.

“It’s exciting to play this game; it was the same with [RB] Leipzig. It’s a Champions League game and we will try to impose our game and try to win.

“The Champions League is never easy in the group stage. We won the first game – but this game will be difficult too.

“It’s away (as well) so we have to keep going as we are, we’ve been very good.”

City opened their campaign with a 6-3 win against Leipzig and they are topping the group with three points while PSG are second after starting their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge.

Thomas Partey is Arsenal's most important African player and not Nicolas Pepe or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to Goal readers.

The trio – who represent Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon internationally – are key members of Mikel Arteta’s first team, and they are expected to play key roles in the Gunners’ bid to challenge for silverware in the 2021-22 campaign.

Interestingly, they were part of the Arsenal squad that silenced Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on Sunday, nevertheless, Pepe did not taste action as he was an unused substitute.

Following their victory over the Lilywhites at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have now won their last four matches in all competitions.

In the wake of the North Londoners' impressive displays in recent outings, we asked our readers who among Pepe, Partey or Aubameyang is the club’s most crucial figure.

In a poll conducted on the Goal Africa Twitter handle, a massive 50 per cent of total votes believed Ghana’s Partey is the most important African in Arteta’s squad given his fine displays in Arsenal's midfield.

Against Nuno Espirito Santo's men, he held sway in the midfield - and was one of the reasons why Harry Kane could not get the required service upfront. 

The 28-year-old moved to England from Atletico Madrid – where he won La Liga and Europa League title. So far, he has featured in just three English top-flight games in the 2021-22 campaign and going by Goal readers' verdict, he could help the Gunners win titles this term. 

Elsewhere, 43.5 per cent pitched their tents with former Borussia Dortmund star Aubameyang. Since his move from Germany, the Gabon international has shouldered goalscoring responsibilities for the English side.

Against Spurs, he accentuated his relevance to the squad, netting a goal. Staying next to Partey is not shocking as that could be as a result of his low scoring ratio in recent matches.

At the bottom of the rating is Ivorian star Pepe who boasts 6.5 per cent of the votes. The former Lille golden boy has failed to reignite his terrific form in France – where he helped the Ligue 1 side qualify for the Champions League with 22 goals and 11 assists in the 2018-19 campaign.

If the votes he has is anything to go by, the Cote d’Ivoire international can be adjudged to be of lesser importance to the scheme of things in Arsenal at the moment.

RB Leipzig manager Jesse Marsch claimed Christopher Nkunku ‘has no weaknesses’ following his impressive performances for the Red Bulls in the 2021-22 campaign.

So far, the former France youth international of Congolese origin has contributed six goals in eight matches across all competitions for the German elite division side.

In Leipzig’s 6-3 defeat to Manchester City, the 23-year-old got a treble and, in the process, became the first player from the club to score a Champions League hat-trick as well as the second player to find the net thrice against the Citizens.

Ahead of Tuesday’s European showdown against Belgian topflight side Club Brugge, the American tactician sang Nkunku's praise, describing him as a youngster who wants a lot more.

"We have spoken to Christopher a lot about playing on the counter, and also what he needs to do to play as a striker, a number ten and on both wings,” Marsch was quoted by the club website.

“Christopher has no weaknesses. He is young and still wants a lot more.

“It’s always a good thing when a young player listens to the things we say and also wants to implement them.

“Working with him is a lot of fun as he is really intelligent and has a lot of potentials.”

Marsch will be eyeing his first win in this season’s tournament against the Belgians, however, he is also wary of the quality in Philippe Clement's Blue Black squad.

"Brugge are a team that has a lot of quality, especially going forward. They have young, talented players and are very aggressive in the final third,” he continued.

“They often go man-to-man across the whole pitch, so we have to be active with the ball and win our individual battles.

“Brugge played exceptionally well against PSG. They made it really difficult for a star-studded line-up, defended well and were cool in front of goal.

“We won’t underestimate them, and we’ll need to perform at our best. We’re looking forward to having them there and want to perform well.

“Every match at home is crucial in this competition as we want to take points from every game to get through the group.”

Liverpool have been handed an injury boost as Naby Keita trained ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with FC Porto.

The Guinea international missed Saturday’s 3-3 Premier League draw with Brentford owing to a knock suffered in a Carabao Cup win over Norwich Cup.

However, the 26-year-old could now be in line for the European club competition showdown against the Portuguese elite division side at the Estadio do Dragao.

“Jurgen Klopp reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of Liverpool's Champions League trip to FC Porto, with Naby Keita set to return,” a statement from the club’s website read.

“Midfielder Keita missed Saturday's draw with Brentford due to a foot issue sustained during last week's Carabao Cup victory at Norwich City, but took part in training before Monday's flight to Portugal.

“That means only Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott are ruled out of the Group B match at Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night.”

Klopp’s team made a winning start in the 2021-22 competition following their 3-2 triumph over AC Milan.

Keita, who joined the Anfield giants from German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2018, was part of the English side’s Champions League and Premier League title-winning sides, albeit, struggles for form and fitness have seen him featured in just 80 appearances.

Despite staying down the pecking order at Liverpool, John Barnes stated that the African who is under contract until 2023 - has a long-term future at the club.

"He hasn’t played many games since he joined but he’s been cursed with injuries,” Barnes told Goal.

"He has a future at the club, but I don't know whether it's going to be long term. 

"Players don't think long term, they think about whether they can get into the team this season, and obviously, he might think that he's down the pecking order but he's at the club, and he can't go anywhere until January. 

"Whether he has a long-term future at the club is up to him. He has a contract, and if he's happy not to be playing every week, that’s his choice. 

"It’s the same for every player, if they're not playing, they're unhappy so therefore they want to go to play more regularly, but we've seen players that stay at a club for four or five years without playing regularly so maybe Keita is one of them. 

"But if you pick your best Liverpool team, Naby Keita wouldn’t be in it."